Page 31 of The Bratva King

He takes another fry, drags it through the sauce, and eats.

“Make sure you eat some of the burger,” I tell him.

And then we eat. I realize there’s no way he’ll finish all the food, but he’s making a strong effort. When he finishes the first dish and looks at me, I mix up more ketchup and mayo.

“Good, right?”

He nods, and I see the first hint of a smile.

Security must have tracked Luke on the cameras. Three hard knocks cut through the quiet before I finish my burger. Then three more. Then a voice I recognize even through six inches of solid oak.

“Luke! Luke, are you in there?!”

Luke looks at me as he goes for another fry.

I get to my feet and cross the room. I open the door before security can, and she nearly falls through it.

She looks like she’s been running. Her hair is loose around her shoulders, and her uniform is slightly askew. She has the look of a woman who has been very, very afraid and is now converting that fear into fury because it’s the only thing she has left.

Her eyes find Luke first. They always will, I think. Everything else in the room is secondary. A lioness protecting her cub.

“Come here.” She moves past me, crouches to his level, and puts her hands on his face, checking him over. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

He lets her hold his face. Blinks at her. Patient.

“He’s fine,” I say.

She straightens up fast. Her dark brows are pulled together, and her eyes are burning with rage. I find myself thinking, even now, that she is genuinely stunning when she’s angry.

The rest of me is in complete agreement as well.

“What the hell are you doing with my son?”

I gesture to the tray. “Feeding him.”

“He doesn’t need food! He had food!”

“I was hungry. He shrugged when I asked if he’d eaten. I took that as no. Manners say it’s rude to eat in front of others.”

Her mouth falls open. Disbelief flashes across her face. “Manners? Are you kidding me? Manners suggest you don’t kidnap a kid!”

“I must be a terrible kidnapper if you found us so quickly.”

“Do you think this is funny? Do you know what you just did? I went to get him, and he was gone. Just gone.”

I see the terror beneath her anger and feel a little bad, but she put him in the position to vanish.

I don’t move. “He was on the casino floor. Alone.”

Her face falls. Her bottom lip quivers. “He was supposed to stay in the break room.”

“He could have walked out onto the Strip,” I say. “He could have been grabbed by anyone. He could have fallen, gotten hurt, wandered into any one of a hundred places in this building that aren’t safe for a child.” I keep my voice level. I don’t yell. I want her to understand the weight of what I’m saying. “This is a casino, not a playground.”

Her jaw tightens, and the quiver in her bottom lip disappears. I can feel her fury rolling off her in powerful waves. “I am aware of that.”

“Are you?”

She flinches like I hit her. I went too far. She loves her son.